$35 Million
Makeover
Westin La Paloma Restores
Splendor to Iconic Resort
Mary Minor Davis
When Southwest Value Partners
announced plans to renovate The
Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa
in January 2012, the community
sighed with relief.
After the property had gone into
Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010,
there was anxiety about what might
happen to the popular, iconic destination. That anxiety was replaced
by anticipation as work crews took
over the resort.
In August, the $35 million makeover of The Westin La Paloma was
revealed, along with a new GM,
Glenn Sampert. Guests are now enjoying the refurbished amenities at
this dove of the desert.
When La Paloma, which opened
in 1986, was conceived by brothers
George and David Mehl of Cottonwood Properties, it was expected to
be the showpiece of the foothills. It
featured a Jack Nicklaus-designed
golf course, a clubhouse and the
resort. The course was the first user
of effluent water for golf courses in
Southern Arizona and set the standard for desert preservation, according to Westin.
A high-end residential community
and an office complex completed the
package.
The development was touted as
Tucson’s premier country club community and was the first of its kind
in Tucson, with panoramic city
and mountain views coupled with
supreme recreational and social facilities. The resort attracted visitors
worldwide.
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In 1988, the resort and country
club were purchased by Aoki Corporation of Japan. Ten years later,
a merger shifted ownership to Goldman Sachs, preceding a sale in 2007
to NCH-Transwest, a local property
investment firm. Under the burden
of the recession, Transwest suffered
financial difficulties in 2010.
Southwest Value Partners, a SanDiego-based real estate company cofounded by Phoenix Suns owner and
Tucson native Robert Sarver, bought
the property in 2012 and announced
the multimillion-dollar makeover.
Sarver, a University of Arizona
graduate and chairman and CEO
of Western Alliance Bancorporation, sees the potential of the Westin
as the economy recovers and new
marketing strategies are implemented.
“There was a lot of neglect,” he
said, noting the property had never
been renovated. “It just needed a
little TLC.”
Sampert experienced the Westin
as a guest when he and his wife vacationed in Tucson.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such
an extensive renovation of a property,” he said. “You could tell that a
lot of work was needed.”
Sampert sees a great deal of potential for business development, beginning with the local community’s
support and commitment for the
property’s success.
“There is so much local pride in
the resort of La Paloma,” he said.
continued on page 128 >>>
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